The present invention relates to a sampling phase detector and, more particularly, to a sampling phase detector comprising a step-recovery-diode, to which a series circuit including at least two diodes is connected in parallel by means of coupling capacitors, in which a balancing transformer is provided which supplies the step-recovery diode with a reference signal, and a decoupling network through which an input signal can be fed to the at least two diodes so that an output signal can be picked off the diodes which is characteristic of a phase shift between the input signal and the reference signal.
This type of sampling phase detector is described in the Product Catalog of Alpha Industries Inc., 1994, pp. 4 to 22. The essential parts of this sampling phase detector, which include the step-recovery- diode and a diode pair connected with it by coupling capacitors, are mounted together on a substrate in film circuit technology. All other circuit components which operate for supplying an input signal, a reference signal and to conduct the output signal, are connected with the diodes found on the substrate by means of conductors. The output signal of this known circuit has a relatively strong frequency dependence and the circuit is not very broad banded.